Smartphone vs. High-Res Walkman®

We rely on our smartphones for everything. Our phones allow us to stay connected to friends and family, set up reminders for the next dentist appointment, take stunning photos and edit them like professionals, play games, monitor our fitness level, order next week’s groceries, avoid getting hopelessly lost and listen to our favorite music.

Since the smartphone is an all-in-one gadget, it makes sense that our phones have started to phase out personal planners, GPS devices and other handheld items. However, if you’re a music lover, there’s no substitution for a good portable music player (and we’re talking about quality audio players like Sony’s High-Res Walkman®, not your old-school MP3 player).

Today’s generation of portable high-res music players blows your smartphone’s audio capabilities out of the water. Sure, it’s convenient to carry around one smartphone that’s able to do it all, but then you’d be missing out on the superior sound quality that a dedicated music player has to offer. Plus, using your phone as a music player has a few other shortcomings.

Scientific American reported that the two biggest complaints that people have about their phones are limited battery life and storage capacity. News flash — your music collection is a huge storage sucker. And if you have music streaming apps like Spotify and Pandora, they can take a huge hit on your phone’s battery life and storage as well. According to a report from AVG Technologies, the Spotify Music app is the fourth biggest culprit for draining your smartphone’s battery and consuming your storage.

Why You Should Choose a Portable High-Res Music Player

If you consider yourself to be an avid music lover, here are three reasons why you should invest in a dedicated music player like a High-Res Walkman® instead of listening to music on your smartphone.

1. Better Sound Quality

The average smartphone isn’t equipped to deliver high fidelity sound. But with the right portable music player, you don’t have to compromise sound quality. In fact, there are several hi-fi music players available on the market that are capable of playing High-Resolution Audio tracks in all of their detailed glory.

2. More Storage Capacity

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting that notification that says your phone’s storage is almost full. And if you have tons of apps, movies and photos loaded onto your phone, in addition to a massive music library, then storage space is going to be a problem. Keep in mind that each MP3 in your music library takes up more than 3MBs of space on your phone, and High-Res Audio files take up even more room. With a dedicated music player, you’ll have a lot more room to play with, allowing you to take your entire music collection with you wherever you go.

3. Save Your Phone’s Battery Life

If your phone dies while you’re out and about, then you’re out of options. One gadget failure leaves you stranded without a phone as well as a music player. But if you have a separate music player with its own built-in battery, you won’t have to deal with that stressful scenario. With a portable high-res music player, listening to music for hours on end will never be a problem.

Now that we’ve covered the reasons why you should use a dedicated music device, what are some good portable music players that live up to the hype?

Best Portable High-Res Music Players

For the Music Lover Who Craves Simplicity:

NWZ-A Series Walkman®

The NWZ-A Series Walkman® is the smallest and lightest High-Resolution Audio player that Sony has to offer. Its compact size makes it the perfect companion for any occasion, whether you’re commuting to work or exercising at the gym. It can also improve the sound quality of your existing music library with DSEE HX™ technology, treating your ears to a richness and fidelity that matches the original recording.

Going on a long trip? Don’t forget that you can enjoy approximately 30 hours of playtime with the long-lasting battery. If you’re looking for something that’s portable, simple and easy to use, then this is the option for you.

For the Hardcore Audiophile:

NW-ZX2 High Resolution Walkman®

If your top priority is great sound quality, then you can’t go wrong with the NW-ZX2 High Resolution Walkman®. Its S-Master HX™ all-digital amplifier reduces potential distortion, ensuring you always get the purest sound quality. The NW-ZX2 Walkman® also features DSEE HX™ technology, which restores lost detail to MP3s and other compressed music files, giving you back the full experience of the original recording, whether you listen to Beethoven or Skrillex. Storage issues? Not with this device! The NW-ZX2 Walkman has 128 GB of built-in memory (plus 128 GB more available), which is music to any audiophile’s ears. If you have a massive music library, this device can handle it. You can also experience high quality playback of PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) converted content (DSD 64/DSD128) with the same warm sound of the DSD (Direct Stream Digital) original. For audiophiles who take their music listening experience seriously, you won’t want to go without this top-of-the-line music player.

High-Res Audio Smartphone

Having a dedicated high-res music player like the NWZ-A Series Walkman® or the NW-ZX2 High Resolution Walkman® is the best solution for getting the highest sound quality while saving your phone’s battery and storage capacity. However, if you’re set on using your phone as an all-in-one gadget, then consider upgrading to a smartphone that can handle all your audio needs.

Sony has smartphone options that support playback of High-Res Audio files. The Sony Xperia Z5 features DSEE HX™ technology that upscales low-res and compressed audio files to near high-res quality. Plus, the built-in Digital Noise Cancelling reduces up to 98 percent of exterior noise. And if you’re are after the best available sound quality over Bluetooth, you're in luck because the Z5 has LDAC™, a new audio technology from Sony that allows you to enjoy high quality wireless audio via Bluetooth. LDAC™ provides an enhanced wireless listening experience for all your music.

Whether you choose to invest in a dedicated portable music player like a High-Res Walkman® or you decide to trade in your smartphone for one that can support High-Res Audio, you can trust that you’ll be infinitely more satisfied with your music listening experience.